Originally, the South Hill Brass was a quartet -- two trumpet players, a trombone player, and a French horn player.  Those same four musicians are still in the group, but in 1996 we added a tuba player.  While this has been a good thing overall, it made our brass quartet musical arrangements obsolete (I still miss the Bartok!), necessitating a whole new repertoire.

In 1993, residents of the surrounding neighborhood formed a neighbors' association, with various goals including improving the park itself.  One of the activities sponsored by this association was the "Top o' the Town Festival."  That first year, the entertainment was provided mostly by people living in the vicinity of the park.  None of the musicians that comprise the South Hill Brass actually reside in that neighborhood, but by a curious quirk of  fate, two of the closest friends of our second trumpet player (that would be me, the organizer of the group) lived within a block of the park (in opposite directions), so, as a sort of neighbor, I was asked to participate in the day's entertainment.  (Since then, the festival has grown to feature entertainers from a larger geographical area.)

The early history of the South Hill Brass is inextricably linked with the history of the "Top o' the Town Festival" in South Hill Park, a historic one-square-block park located on the hill just south of downtown Burlington, between Sixth and Seventh Streets, and Aetna and Elm Streets.

History of the South Hill Brass

The South Hill Brass has performed at each of the annual Top o' the Town Festivals (generally the first Sunday in October), and other events, both public and private, including at Bruder's Old World Coffee House, Phelp's House, "The Apple Trees," the Schramm House Bed and Breakfast, Catfish Bend Riverboat Casino, the re-opening of downtown's Jefferson Street (after the pedestrian mall was removed), Burlington's Lighted Holiday Parade, and local church services.

The early history of the South Hill Brass is inextricably linked with the history of the "Top o' the Town Festival" in South Hill Park, a historic one-square-block park located on the hill just south of downtown Burlington, between Sixth and Seventh Streets, and Aetna and Elm Streets.

In 1993, residents of the surrounding neighborhood formed a neighbors' association, with various goals including improving the park itself.  One of the activities sponsored by this association was the "Top o' the Town Festival."  That first year, the entertainment was provided mostly by people living in the vicinity of the park.  None of the musicians that comprise the South Hill Brass actually reside in that neighborhood, but by a curious quirk of  fate, two of the closest friends of our second trumpet player (that would be me, the organizer of the group) lived within a block of the park (in opposite directions), so, as a sort of neighbor, I was asked to participate in the day's entertainment.  (Since then, the festival has grown to feature entertainers from a larger geographical area.)

Incidentally, I had always been particularly interested in South Hill Park, as had one of the other musicians who agreed to participate in the group, which was assembled from musicians who had already known each other for years.  We gathered music, practiced once or twice prior to the festival, and it was during that first performance, on October 17, 1993, that we took the name "South Hill Brass."

Originally, the South Hill Brass was a quartet -- two trumpet players, a trombone player, and a French horn player.  Those same four musicians are still in the group, but in 1996 we added a tuba player.  While this has been a good thing overall, it made our brass quartet musical arrangements obsolete (I still miss the Bartok!), necessitating a whole new repertoire.